"You idiot!" Snowcloud looked at Arran with tear-filled eyes. "I thought you had died!"
Arran didn't respond. She had repeated variations on the same words at least a dozen times in just the past half hour, and by now, he understood there was nothing he could say that would make a difference.
When he returned to the castle, he had expected her to be angry, even furious. What he had not expected was for her to hug him while nearly crying her eyes out.
In Arran's view, this was considerably worse than anything he'd been prepared for. Her anger, he could weather. But this, he had no idea how to handle. It was clear his absence had hurt her, and that she had spent the weeks he was gone in worry, fretting that he had died or been captured.
He had apologized, of course, but it seemed an apology wasn't what she wanted. As for what she did want, Arran had no idea.
Part of him blamed Ston
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True to Snowcloud's word, she had them leave the castle at dawn.Stoneheart and Tuya saw them off as they departed, offering them wishes of good fortune on their travels, along with several small gifts.Tuya gave Arran fifty Essence Crystals, which she said was a token of gratitude for his help in disposing of the army. Arran accepted it gracefully, not bothering to point out that she'd taken twice as much for the armor he'd used. Tuya, he suspected, would have been able to easily handle the matter herself had she wanted to.Stoneheart, on the other hand, had little to offer but his gratitude. The tall novice had last his own void bag in battle months earlier, and it appeared that Elder Naran had confiscated all the belongings of the novices they'd defeated in battle.The giant Elder himself, finally, did not appear. From what Snowcloud said, he'd locked himself away weeks earlier, and it seemed that
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 1
Arran awoke before dawn, his body stiff from sleeping on the cold grass. There had been an inn a few miles back, but three months of travel had drained most of the coin he had inherited from his father. Now, spending several coppers for a warm bed seemed like a luxury he could ill afford.Yet despite his sore body, this morning found Arran filled with excitement. Today, after three months, he would finally arrive in Fulai City. Today, he would finally have a chance to join the Academy and become a mage.When the first light of dawn appeared Arran broke camp in a hurry, eating a tough hunk of stale bread as he packed his bag. After months of travel the time to eat breakfast properly would not make much of a difference, but with the end of his journey in sight, his patience had long since worn thin.Heart filled with excitement, he set off.By late morning the cottages and farms along the road grew more frequent, and Arran knew he must be nearing the city. Each new hill he climbed saw h
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 2
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Forbidden Sphere Chapter 3
Arran sat in the common room of the Blue Angel, playing a game of stones with one of the girls, a cute brunette with a freckled face."I win again," she said with a giggle.He handed her a copper. "Another game?" he asked, and she nodded eagerly. Few of the girls at the Blue Angel would object to earning an easy copper or two.The first day he had spent in his room, afraid that being seen would allow the Academy to find him more easily. Caught between fear and boredom, he had spent the day filled with fear and worry, and before long the small room had felt like a prison cell.Eventually, boredom had won out over fear, and he had headed down to the common room of the inn.The next few days he had spent playing games of stones and cards with the girls. He lost all but a few of the games, but he welcomed the distraction — not having to think about the danger he was in was easily worth a few handfuls of coppers.It had been three days since his visit to the Academy, and Master Zhao had st
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Arran stared at the blond man in front of him. He was certain he had never seen the man's face before, yet there was something strangely familiar about him."Who are you?" he asked again.The man smirked, and his image suddenly grew blurry. When it cleared, Master Zhao's grinning face appeared.Arran was astonished. "So it was you…" Although he had seen the man change like this once before, at the time he had been too shocked to give it much thought."Why did you draw so much attention?" Arran asked. "After tonight, there is no way we can escape unnoticed.""I've always loved a good bit of theater," Master Zhao said, a sly smile on his face. "But more importantly, this was the best way to hide you."A puzzled expression appeared on Arran's face. Drawing attention was the best way to hide him?"You failed to get into the Academy, then spent half a week at the biggest brothel in the city, before getting hauled off by your uncle." Master Zhao grinned."Nobody would act that way while try
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 5
Arran suppressed a yawn as he walked.He had barely slept a wink the previous night, instead lying awake as he thought about the many things Master Zhao had told him. When he fell asleep it was near dawn, and true to his word, Master Zhao had come knocking on his door right at the break of dawn, once more wearing the disguise of Arran's 'uncle' Derrin.Somewhere, the man had acquired a large cart drawn by two horses, filled with who-knows-what. Not long after sunrise they had left, Master Zhao riding the cart while Arran walked beside it.He cast an annoyed glance at Master Zhao. When he had asked if he could ride on the cart instead of having to walk next to it, the man had refused, telling him that physical exercise was crucial to being a mage.Apparently, that did not extend to Master Zhao himself. Comfortably sitting in the driver's seat of the cart, he showed no sign of wanting to trade places with Arran."How much farther before we rest to eat?" Arran asked. It was near midday,
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 6
Standing on the road before Arran and Master Zhao were six men. They looked like soldiers or mercenaries, carrying swords and axes, and wearing battle-scarred armor.Arran tried to control his fear, but only partly succeeded. "Are they from the Academy?" he asked, voice shaking."Just some common bandits," Master Zhao said dismissively. "Deal with them." He did not seem the least bit concerned."Deal with them?" Arran's eyes went wide. Even if the men weren't from the Academy, there were six of them, all armored. And Master Zhao expected Arran to deal with them?There was no time for Arran to object. Already, the men were in front of them."We'll take the cart and the horses, and any coin you're carrying." The man who spoke was tall, with a bald head that bore several deep scars. "Hand them over, and we'll let you leave with your lives.""We can't do that." Arran had drawn his sword and was standing in front of the six men, alone."Kill them." The bald man said the words calmly and wi
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 7
Several days had gone by since their encounter with the bandits, and despite his earlier words, Master Zhao had still not begun teaching Arran magic.Each time he asked Master Zhao when they would begin training, the answer was the same: "Soon."After a week, Arran was beginning to lose hope.Then, one morning, as Arran was starting his morning practice with the sword, Master Zhao unexpectedly stopped him."Not today," the man said. "Today, you set your first step on the path to becoming a mage"Arran immediately felt an eager grin appear on his face. "When do we start?" he asked, barely able to contain his excitement."Right now," Master Zhao answered. He produced two scrolls from his robe, which he handed them over to Arran. "First, study these."Arran sat down, then picked one of the scrolls and unrolled it.Immediately, his face went sour. The scroll was filled with writing, but it used peculiar symbols he had never seen before."I don't know how to read this," he said. He half ex